On August 16-19, one of the biggest attractions of the year will take place in Helper, Utah, The Helper Arts, Music and Film Festival. Begun as a small festival that featured Plein Air painting, a few in town galleries, some entertainment and a few vendors in the early 1990s, the festival has grown to be a major event combining art of all kinds.
The festival has a rich history of bringing the arts to not only Helper, but surrounding areas as well. The Helper Arts, Music and Film Festival’s mission is to encourage art and culture in Carbon County, support the local artist community, stimulate and enrich the local economy through the arts, and to educate and give access to art for everyone, regardless of income level or art experience. The festival endeavors to not only put on a great festival, but to bring the arts to the community throughout the year as much as possible.
Supported by a committed group of volunteers, the festival continues to evolve in order to provide a well-rounded experience to all patrons including but not limited to music, visual arts, photography, ceramics, woodworking, film and performance art. Over the course of the third weekend in August every year, patrons can enjoy great music, catch a film and purchase fine art! The festival’s original purpose was focused on revitalizing Main Street and supporting local artisans. That focus has expanded into bringing art to local area schools via the SmART Program. Working closely with the Carbon School Board, a theme is selected and various students are selected to participate in creating art works displayed during the festival.
The event also includes a car show on Saturday, August 18.
This years entertainment on stage includes Amber-Rae Scott, Angela Murray, Kate MacLoed, Kelly Volgrinec, Mariachi De Mi Tierra, Megan Huber, Natural Causes, Quicksand Soup, Shuffle, The Deltaz and Wild Flower Moon among others. Entertainment is spread over all the days of the festival. Along with this is a competition called Helper Idol, which is modeled after American Idol and that returns this year after a short hiatus.
The Rio Theater will present many movies and documentaries that vie for prizes, many of them locally produced.
Art of course is the heart of the festival with galleries spread all over downtown Helper open as well as vendors downtown. A gallery stroll takes place the first evening of the festival with galleries providing drinks and dessert items.
Plays include the Pirates of Penzance ( Castle Valley Acting Company) and A Midsummers Night Dream by the Grassroots Shakespeare Company.
Many other activities and events will be taking place over the course of the festival. For more detailed information go to http://helperartsfestival.com/schedule/